


Thank you

by uchiha



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-17
Updated: 2019-12-17
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:54:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21829291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/uchiha/pseuds/uchiha
Summary: Ashe falls in love, then loses it all, only to regain it when he least expects it.
Relationships: Ashe Duran | Ashe Ubert/Dedue Molinaro
Comments: 3
Kudos: 53
Collections: FE3H Holiday Gift Exchange





	Thank you

**Author's Note:**

  * For [unraelated](https://archiveofourown.org/users/unraelated/gifts).



Ashe doesn’t know what to do with himself after Lonato’s death; he’s wondering aimlessly through the corridors of the monastery, looking at the floor. Somehow, without noticing, he’s in front of the greenhouse. Sighing, he opens the door, the smell of the many trees and flowers growing inside hitting his nose at the same time. He doesn’t look around, instead he walks to the very end, standing in front of the trees and looking at the dirt.

He knows he did the right thing, he knows it, and yet he can’t help but wonder if something else could have been done. If they didn’t stop Lonato now then he could have come back later, stronger. It makes sense, but Ashe feels the pain on his chest and without noticing, he’s crying. The tears flow freely, his face wet, his whole body shaking. Little sobs break the silence in between the plants. Ashe feels like he spent hours crying, without moving from his spot. He doesn’t care, doesn’t want to do anything else. 

That is, of course, until someone walks into the greenhouse. Ashe doesn’t hear the steps walking to where he is, nor does he notice them stop abruptly. He doesn’t turn when he hears someone breathing behind him, but dries his face with the cuff of his uniform. He has no intention of saying anything, but the intruder speaks first.

“Do you need more time alone?” 

Ashe feels a shiver go down his spine, and he looks up and back to see the imposing figure behind him. Always so large, scary, and yet so gentle.

“It’s ok Dedue, I— I think I’m done.”

Dedue nods, moving aside, leaving the path to the door open. Ashe stares at the dirt in front of him and turns to leave. Something comes over him at that moment, maybe it’s the need to have company now that he feels empty and spent, or maybe its just his curiosity at the man who stands there with him. 

“Maybe... would you like to have tea with me?”

Dedue’s eyebrows shut up in surprise, his whole face an open expression of it. 

“If you’re sure you wouldn’t mind having tea with me, I’ll be my pleasure.” Dedue says, his voice soft yet firm.

Ashe shakes his head, “I want to, I really like your company.”

Dedue doesn’t exactly seem to believe this, but he won’t say no. So he nods his head, “in that case, will you be free in about half an hour? I need to water the plants.”

“I can help you with that!” Ashe pipes in, seemingly better.

“It’s ok; go refresh a little, I’ll wait for you in the gazebo.”

Ashe blushes slightly, nodding as he walks out of the greenhouse, and straight to his room. He makes sure he looks ok before going to the baths to wash his face. He looks at himself in the mirror, patting his hair down into place. When he doesn’t look like he just woke up from a bad nap, he nods, walking outside. He goes directly to the gazebo, finding Dedue already there, setting up the pastries.

“Thank you for setting everything up,” Ashe says, blushing slightly, “you didn’t have to.”

“It’s my pleasure to help,” Dedue responds, and invites Ashe to sit with a move of his hand.

Ashe takes his spot, watching Dedue sitting in front of him, the teapot steaming between them. Before the other can react, Ashe takes the teapot and serves tea for both of them. Dedue smiles softly, waiting for his tea to be served, before taking his teacup and blowing on it gently, taking a small sip of his drink before putting it down again. Ashe smiles as he sets the teapot down, taking a sip of his tea as Dedue grabs a pastry.

They stay in comfortable silence for a few moments, before Ashe asks Dedue about his favourite recipe, and then they talk for what seems hours. The pastries get all eaten up, and the tea drunk completely, and they keep on talking, until the sun goes down.

When they realize they can’t see each other that well anymore, Ashe laughs quietly, and Dedue smiles, both looking at each other with fondness.

From that day onwards, every weekend, Dedue and Ashe would have tea together.

He doesn’t notice when it happens, but Ashe starts to look forwards to his meetings with Dedue. During the week they work together in the kitchen, in the greenhouse, in the stables. They talk about what they like and what they don’t, and Ashe laughs more and more often. 

One day he hears a couple of girls talk about romance, and, hit with a sudden realization, Ashe runs to his room. He likes Dedue, and it’s more than just a friend. He’s afraid to tell Dedue, but the other notices the small changes in Ashe. He would blush when their hands would barely touch, giggle uncontrollably when Dedue stared at him too long, etcetera. It was nerve wracking for Ashe, being around his crush and not being able to talk to him about it.

He asked Mercedes for help, but the woman could barely offer him any; he went to Annette after, and the girl giggled as she encouraged him to confess. It wasn’t until Dedue cornered him, right before bedtime, in his own room, than Ashe confessed, looking down at the floor.

“Is that all?” Dedue asks, and Ashe gasps, ready to let the tears fall free. Dedue then puts his finger and thumb under Ashe’s chin and lifts his face, “Look at me.”

Ashe does as told, but he can’t force any words out. He looks directly into Dedue’s eyes, his own filled with tears that simply won’t fall. He can’t do anything but melt into the touch as Dedue’s lips connect with his. Ashe closes his eyes and kisses back, not knowing how to do it, but eager enough to learn.

From that day onwards, they would meet in Ashe’s room, talk about random things, and kiss. Sometimes they would kiss for long periods of time, sometimes it was just short kisses in between laughter, sometimes they would just lay down with each other, cuddling.

It’s not until one night, when they’re kissing with fervour that Ashe asks the question. 

“Dedue… Have you ever thought about us having sex?” He’s blushing, ridiculously so, but he’s laying on the bed, with Dedue on top of him, and can’t help but want to rub his hardening member against the other.

“I have.” Dedue then kisses him, before putting their foreheads together, and sighing. “I didn’t want to scare you by asking.”

“Oh, thank the goddess,” Ashe sighs, and blushes even more, “I want to, so badly.”

Dedue kisses him again, “Will you allow me to touch you?”

“Please, do it.” Ashe begs, his hips shaking upwards, as Dedue rests his body weight into one arm, moving the other to bury his hand in Ashe’s shirt.

Ashe sighs and arches his back, as Dedue moves his warm hand over Ashe’s chest. Dedue kisses him then, as his fingers slowly press on Ashe’s nipple. Ashe moans, but Dedue doesn’t stop kissing him, his fingers rubbing the nipple to hardness, then moving to the other one. Ashe squirms, his erection rubbing against the fabric of his underwear, and when he moves his hips upwards he feels a hardness he wasn’t expecting on the other man.

They separate for air, and Ashe get courageous, moving his hands to lay under Dedue’s shirt too. Dedue lifts away then, taking off his shirt, discarding it on the floor, next to his school jacket. 

Ashe swallows hard, and moves his tremor ling hands to touch Dedue’s chest, trying to memorize the feeling of the skin under his fingertips. Without warning, Dedue lays on top of him again, kissing him hard. Ashe moans, and then gasps as he feels one of Dedue’s hands undoing the ties of his pants. 

“Are you sure?” Dedue asks then, his lips against Ashe’s, and Ashe nods, kissing Dedue before the other can react, making Dedue moan. 

Ashe gasps when he feels Dedue’s hand on his erection, and arches his back as the other starts to move his hand around it. Ashe breaks the kiss, his hands moving to Dedue’s back, his nails digging slightly into the skin.

Dedue removes his hand from Ashe’s pants, instead he pulls the fabrics down, letting the member spring free, but before Ashe can complain, he feels Dedue revoke his own pants. They both gasp when Dedue’s member touches Ashe’s, and without missing a beat, Dedue wraps his hand around both of them. He starts moving it as Ashe thrusts upwards, both of them panting as they move. They cum relatively fast, and Ashe is panting and gasping for air, feeling the heat on his dying erection, Dedue’s hand moving away as he leans his forehead against Ashe’s. They kiss again, slow and sweet, before Dedue moves away to find a towel to clean his ahdn, his body, and Ashe’s with. 

Ashe blushes furiously yet again when he sees the red lines on Dedue’s back, and covers his face with both hands, trying to force his blush to disappear. Dedue sits on the bed then, poking Ashe’s arm, and offering the towel. Ashe takes it, cleans himself, then throws it on the floor, before pulling Dedue into a kiss. 

They fix themselves before Dedue lays beside Ashe, and they talk softly about flowers. The time passes, until someone calls for nights out, and Dedue kisses Ashe goodnight, leaving for his own room.

A week later they go into the tomb under the monastery, and they find out Edelgard is the Flame Emperor. Dimitri loses it, and Ashe turns to look at Dedue, who’s angrily holding onto his axe, as the enemy disappears.

They don’t get a chance to speak, as Dedue keeps himself busy next to the prince, and Ashe swallows hard when the archbishop announces the Empire has called a war.

He fights, hard, during the next battle, his arrows flying through the sky during the fight, a giant dragon on the sky for a few moments, and he loses sight of Dimitri and Dedue. He’s franticly looking for the other when someone grabs his arm, Felix, forcing him to retreat into the monastery, and he doesn’t know how much time has passed, but Dedue never comes back.

A few months later he learns the Prince of Faerghus has been killed by the Empire, and, as part of the Kingdom, he continues to fight. He writes to Sylvain, and Annette whenever possible, sometimes receiving letters from Felix and Mercedes, but they all say the same. Can’t let the empire win, they have to fight for Faerghus, they have to keep going. Ingrid is the only one who sends letters with positivity in them, and Ashe finds them delightful.

One letter in particular keeps his attention, because it reminds him of the promise they had all made, years ago, to meet again in the monastery on its thousand anniversary. He decides he’s going to go, and gets ready, making sure he has enough arrows to defend himself on his way, and on the monastery itself. 

When he arrives he sees Sylvain in the distance, screaming something. They have to fight bandits and reclaim all the things they stole, but something makes Ashe freeze for a moment. In the middle of the whole mess is no one other than Dimitri himself, with the long lost teacher beside him. 

He gains his wits long enough to make his way to the middle, where Dimitri is standing, covered in blood and dirt. They all get to there slowly, and the teacher tells them to move to the monastery, inside, where they could talk.

The chapel is a mess, destroyed, but they talk, and Ashe discovered Dedue died, sacrificed himself to save Dimitri, and for the first time, his heart feels heavy. He listens to the talks, then excuses himself to his room, and all the memories from years past attack him. Without the strong arms to hold onto anymore, Ashe crumbles to the floor, crying disconsolately. 

A couple of days pass, and Ashe can’t even forced himself to smile anymore. Mercedes comes to console him, Annette on her side. Ingrid hugs him more than once, and Sylvain invites him to help with the cleaning more often than not. He only sees Felix a couple of times, the man with the prince at all times. 

They go into battle after battle, mostly running after Dimitri as the prince kills everyone in his path. Felix’s dad joins them after some time. He doesn’t talk to the man, instead goes to train. Ashe tries to keep himself occupied, between training, cooking, and tending to the greenhouse, he has his hands full.

It’s not until they fight the Empire on the bridge that he feels his heart beat again. Out of nowhere, with what seems like his own little army, Dedue shows up. Ashe misses a shot as he sees the man running to the Prince’s side. His heart beating so strongly that he feels he’s seeing things, punching someone on the face strong enough to break their nose as his bow hits someone else in the eye.

Mercedes appears somehow beside him, and tells him something that he doesn’t listen to, his eyes on the Prince and the man beside him. 

When the battle is over, Ashe falls to his knees, the tears flowing freely as the Prince comes out victorious. The professor is talking to someone, but he doesn’t pay any mind to anyone but Dedue. 

Dedue, for the first time since he appeared in the battlefield, looks at Ashe. The world stops in its tracks for a moment, as Ashe takes in the sight of the man, not even knowing if the other still feels the same way he does. 

They regroup in the monastery, talking, there’s more people there now, and Ashe finds himself in Ingrid’s arms, as she hugs him tightly. When everyone retires to clean up, Ashe lingers for a moment. He sees Dedue talking to Dimitri, Felix hovering nearby, and he decides to go bathe.

When he reaches his room after his bath, he finds Dedue waiting for him at the door. 

“I’m sorry,” is the first thing the older man says when Ashe lets him into his room.

“There’s nothing—“

“Everything. I left you, I let you down.” Dedue interrupts, and Ashe wants to cry.

“Is it ok for me to hug you?” He asks, and Dedue opens his arms.

Ashe steps into the other’s embrace and sobs, feeling the strong arms around his body.

“Please, promise me you won’t go again.” Ashe begs, and Dedue nods.

“I live for my king, but my heart lies with you, Ashe.” 

They kiss, for the first time in five years, with Ashe’s face stained with tears. They lay together for hours, in silence, holding each other in bed, until Ashe can’t stay awake anymore.

When he wakes up Dedue is there, and he feels like the world is upside down. He got so used to dreaming about the other man, only to wake up alone, that now the tears are flowing again, and Ashe curls up against Dedue’s arms and falls asleep once more. 

Not long after, Dimitri is crowned King of Faerghus, and Dedue and Felix stand behind him. Ashe watches from afar, with thew rest of his allies. Smiling. 

The war doesn’t last for much longer, the fight in the Empire lasting way too long, exhausting everyone involved. Dimitri, their king, comes out victorious, with his head held high. Everyone cheers, the Empire’s remaining forces giving up, and Ashe falls to the floor, Sylvain next to him, as they cheer loudly. 

When they’re back in the monastery, a few days after, there’s a big celebration, everyone cheering, Claude and the rest of his friends and armies next to them, Dimitri smiling as he talks to everyone, Dedue always by his side.

When the night starts to calm down, Ashe steps outside, staring at the stars high in the sky. Moments later Dedue joins him, his hand on Ashe’s lower back. 

“It’s over.” Ashe comments, and smiles at Dedue, who nods. “I was thinking… Now that the war is over, there’s not much for us to do besides the skirmishes here and there.”

“What are you getting at?” 

“I want to learn more about Duscur,” Ashe says, blushing, “I want to know everything about it actually, I want to specially learn its cuisine as best as possible.”

“What for?” Dedue asks, raising an eyebrow.

“For you.” They both blush and look away, but Ashe clears his throat before continuing to speak. “I know you’ll stay by Dimitri’s side, but I was thinking… If you stay with him, that means I will have to go visit you as much as possible, so I want you to be able to eat as much food from Duscur as possible—“

“Ashe,” the younger one snaps his mouth shut, before Dedue holds onto his hands, “I would love that more than anything.”

They kiss, and Ashe smiles, “Go on, go back to his majesty.”

Dedue kisses him again, and then kisses Ashe’s forehead. “Thank you, Ashe, for everything.”

Ashe smiles, and pushes Dedue to go back inside. Dedue nods, going back to the party, where Claude has forced Dimitri to dance with him. Ashe laughs as he sees Dimitri’s face, red from embarrassment, and realizes that, while watching Dedue walking to stand close to the King, away from the dancing pair, that he has never wished for anything else.

“Thank you too,” Ashe whispers as he closes the door behind him.


End file.
